Law student Sarah Robertson has already faced two life-changing dilemmas in her relatively short career with the stick.

Having excelled at both hockey and football in her youth – winning age-group international honours at both – the then 17-year-old Selkirk High School pupil had to decide which sporting avenue to go down.

Despite being tipped for great things with a ball at her feet, she listened to the advice of her coaches and opted for hockey. It was a gamble.

Sarah told us: “I never played hockey until I got to High School – all the other girls were playing it so I thought I’d give it a go. I had always played football and rugby at primary school “I kept playing football and hockey all the way through school – I did well at both getting in the Scotland teams.

“There was always going to come a time when I had to choose my sport.

“Everyone thought I would choose football but when it came to the crunch I went for hockey.

“There was a lot of positive chat from the hockey people like Janet Jack, and I’d just moved up an age group at the football and was sitting on the bench a lot for Scotland.

“It’s only now, being selected for Glasgow, that I know I made the right decision.” Having earned her place at Edinburgh University to study law, Sarah’s progress in the lecture rooms as well as the hockey pitch was all going to plan.

She earned her full international cap in June, 2012, at the age of 18.

And the national coaches believed they had found a star of the future. But an intense new training programme introduced by Scottish Hockey last year, in a bid to push the teams up the world rankings, coupled with her law studies led to a drained Sarah losing her form.

National selection was no longer a done deal – and a place for Glasgow 2014 looked more and more unlikely.

Sarah continued: “When I first got into the Scottish set up there was a lot of enthusiasm - I was the new, young girl who showed lots of promise.

“The training started to catch up with me. We were training more or less every day and I was studying on top of that – I was tired all the time and my form was poor.” Back home in Selkirk, 20-year-old Sarah broke the news to her parents, Bert and Sandra, that she was going to take six months out of her third year university studies – the law bar could wait.

It was yet another gamble – and again it paid off.

From last Christmas Sarah concentrated entirely on her hockey career. She trained full time and travelled to South Africa with the national squad for a sun-soaked training camp. Sarah continued: “From Christmas hockey has been my life.

“My parents weren’t so sure about me taking the time away from university but I knew I’d only get one chance at the Commonwealth Games – I didn’t want to be watching on the TV.

“My form improved with all the training but I still wasn’t sure I’d be selected – it could have gone several ways as there are a few girls knocking on the door. It was such a relief when I got told I was selected.” Since May’s team selection Gordon Shepherd’s 16-strong squad has prepared for this week’s Commonwealth Games with a number of challenge matches and tournaments.

The improving Scots narrowly lost out to England, 2-1, but beat Wales 3-2 at the Investec Cup in London a fortnight ago.

And there is belief within the camp that they can finish in the top two of their five-team Commonwealth Games Pool – which features both England and Wales – to reach the semi-finals.

They will also face World Champions Australia, and Malaysia in the group stages.

Sarah, who will be sharing a room within the Games Village with her team captain Linda Clement for the next two weeks, added: “There is very little between the top teams these days.

“We are improving and there is a belief that we can beat anyone. I think we will be in the top two and reach the semis – after that, who knows, we could go all the way.” Sarah Robertson and the Scotland Ladies team begin their Commonwealth Games campaign on Friday at 4pm against Malaysia.

Let’s hope she popped into Scotbet before she left Selkirk.

**THE teacher who first pointed a young Sarah Robertson on her way to the Commonwealth Games will be in the stands supporting her protégé.

Irene Logan is these days serving cakes in her own town-centre coffee shop.

But the recently-retired teacher and sports coach was top of the list when it came to dishing out tickets for hockey star Sarah. The 20-year-old said: “Mrs Logan helped me a great deal when I was at school and if it wasn’t for her I’m not sure I’d be going to the Games. I made sure I got enough tickets so I could give some to Mrs Logan.” Sarah will also have mum and dad, Sandra and Bert, brother, Matthew, and granny, Muriel Bowie, in the National Hockey Centre stands cheering her on.